Page 57 of Alive At Night

“No, I’m serious. It’s what I’ve always liked about you. You were a genuine straight shooter in a sea of law school brats. But this?” He walked toward me slowly, giving me a once-over. “This is a lie. One that you’re selling me. And Juniper. And Noah. And most importantly, yourself.”

Shit, I forgot how intense Cameron could sometimes be. I forgot how much he’d whipped my ass into shape when I needed it in law school, and he certainly wasn’t holding back now.

“I set them up because Juniper asked me to,” I managed to say. Sticking to the facts seemed like a safe bet. “In exchange, she’s helping me with a case.”

For reasons I couldn’t fully explain, I hadn’t confessed this to Cameron yet. It was partly because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings about going to Juniper for help on the case instead of him, but I knew it was more than just that.

I didn’t want to have to explain…everything.

“Juniper needed a date for her sister’s wedding,” I added, “so I found her a date.”

Cameron stared at me for a long moment before a laugh exploded out of him. A rueful laugh. One that lacked genuine humor, perfectly fitting for this shittastic moment. “Your chance was staring you straight in the eye, and you really went and fucked it up, didn’t you?”

I swallowed, hating how he’d arranged those words and what they’d implied. “I didn’t fuck up anything besides inviting Juni even further into my life by setting her up with my goddamn friend.”

“Okay.” Cameron nodded, but the twist of his lips told me he didn’t buy a single word I’d said. “I’ll let you believe that for now.” He leaned in closer, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “But that denial will keep biting you in the ass if you don’t do something about it.”

He made it sound easy. Like the fight within me was something that could be easily tossed aside. But he didn’t know the half of it. He didn’t understand the number of years she’d made me suffer.

“It’s not too late,” he added beneath his breath, seeming to sense the battle going on in my head.

It’s not too late.

I wasn’t sure I believed that.

I wasn’t sure I even wanted to believe it.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Not in the way Cameron meant it.

The only thing that mattered was making sure I never had to hear Noah call Junipersweetheartever again.

ten years ago

“What?” I sighed.

Julian crossed his arms over his bare chest, his mouth opening and closing with words that wouldn’t come out. Hating how my eyes kept wanting to drift lower, I looked away from him.

Eventually, Julian cleared his throat. “Kelly and I broke up.”

My eyes shot over to his face, noting the drained expression and tight, clenched jaw. Even more than usual. He took a step closer to me, and without even consciously realizing it, I took a step closer to him.

Weighty silence fell over the room. The house was quiet, except for the slight creak of the floorboards as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. The moonlight flooded through Julian’s open window, that soft summer breeze making the curtains dance around the frame. And the oddest sensation settled in my chest.

“You and Kelly broke up?” I prompted, feeling like walking out on him now would be rude.

He nodded. “I thought…” He rubbed his jaw in thought for a moment. “I thought we were on the same page. About not wanting to do long distance. She…didn’t feel the same.”

I stared at him, unsure if I was comprehending correctly. “So you broke up with her? I thought you really liked her.”

Me? I wasn’t a big fan of Kelly Mcvarish, but I didn’t have a good reason. She was fine. But there was just something about her that grated on my nerves whenever I saw her. Over the last few months, sometimes I would show up at the Briggs house and collide with a smiley blonde. And I always had to pretend to be happy to see her.

Julian shook his head, his eyes avoiding mine. “I liked her, but…”

He never did finish his sentence.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

juniper

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